The Sound of Silence

THE SPIDER

I stepped into my bathroom and stepped out of my clothes. After turning on the water to the shower, I sat on the toilet. Panic gripped me as I was almost swallowed whole. Of course, my husband had never been capable of lowering the toilet seat.

On my second attempt, I made contact as steam began to roll from the shower in thick clouds. Water pooled on the panes of the sliding glass doors and raced down the smooth plain, only to be collected in the tile basin and swirling down the drain.

In one corner of the bathroom, a spider rested on its web. Floated was a more accurate word, I could not see the silken thread, but I knew its invisible strands supported the tiny hunter's weight. It waited, silently for some prey to wander too close before it would pounce. It's dark, hunter's body almost shone in the light, round and sleek. Eight legs protruded from its abdomen, pointed and hairy. Were it not for the fact this creature was a new addition to the bathroom I had just cleaned, I would have believed the thing to be dead.

Spiders were such opportunistic predators, choosing to lie in wait until what they wanted came to them. I supposed I had lived my entire life like a spider. I had allowed Mark to play the lead in our relationship from the time we first met. I had waited on a job to contact me instead of pursuing a career. Would I live out the remainder of my life in such a way? Waiting for opportunities to present themselves? Could I afford to do so? I would remain forever unhappy if I did, and I knew this.

As I stepped into the shower, all the while keeping one eye on the spider waiting in the corner. I activated my assistant and scrolled through my contacts until I found Red. Many choices were presented to me, but I highlighted the Send Message option. What should I say? Would it matter? She probably won't even remember me. It had been three whole days, after all.

Would you like some help with your salutation, Misses Gray?

Sure. Sure, I would, but I decline. In the end, I choose brevity. Brevity is the soul of everything.

How about that meal I owe you?

It is done, all I have to do now is be the spider once more and ̶

Sounds great, what time?

I had not expected this. If I replied instantly, would that seem desperate? Yes, the answer is yes, but I also was not concerned with that, I was desperate.

Five?

2120 Wilmore St. APT 64

Where's that?

It's a good place to eat

That's an apartment number

Yeah, I'm a good cook

Alright, I'll be there

See you then

And with that, it was done. All I had to do was tell Mark I wouldn't be home for dinner and I would be free for the afternoon. No. I didn't have to tell Mark anything. I was already free for the afternoon, and the morning, and the evening, for that matter. Mark never alerted me to any of his comings and goings, why should I give him that courtesy?

Had our relationship deteriorated to the point neither of us cared enough to even inform the other of what we were doing? I supposed it had. For all I knew, Mark had plans with his mistress anyhow. It wasn't Wednesday, but Mark was never one to fall back on tradition.

As I showered, I pondered on what to expect when meeting Red. Was she dangerous? Was she an intellectual? What did she do for work? I found, as I considered all of the possibilities, I knew nothing about this new woman in my life. I knew not what to expect, and that felt good. It was somehow exciting to be walking into the unknown.

For years, my life had been routine to the point of boring. I woke, had breakfast, went to work, had lunch, came home, had dinner, and finally, I slept. It was an endless cycle of contentment. I tried to focus on the last time something unexpected had happened in my life and could not. Of course, there had been the run-in with Red, but before that, it had been the revelation that Brian was an enemy of the state, and that had been years ago.

What would Brian think of Red? Perhaps, I should ask his opinion on the subject. Brian almost always knew how best to handle these types of situations. Where questionable activities were concerned, Brian was the foremost authority on such matters.

As I stepped out of the shower, steam rolled up in dense clouds, fogging my vision and covering my mirror. Again, I searched out the spider in the corner. I respected the critter for all of its cunning. I could learn much patience from such a creature. However, I would no longer play the part of the spider, I wouldn't allow myself to wait for my life to come to me. Not anymore.

After dressing, I leave my bathroom before turning around and walking to the corner where the spider resides. Lifting my newly shoed foot, I crush the spider under my heel.

Spiders are disgusting.